Kisses From Jack (The Kisses 1.5)

He moved within me, pushing me back against the marble sink. It was a welcome cold compared to the steam filling the bathroom. I wrapped my legs around him, drawing him further into me as he grabbed the sink for leverage. Echoes of gasps and groans reverberated off the tile walls as his speed increased.

My spine felt like fire, our body heat combining with the steam to make everything slick. Jack’s strokes were strong and sure, sending me into a happy oblivion. His breath was ragged in my ear, his need about to consume him. I felt him suddenly shudder, his body tightening and relaxing at the same time as he found release. My hips rocked hard into him, both of us gasping for breath before crumpling to the floor.

Our legs tangled together, arms wrapped in circles around one another. Jack drew back, still panting with exertion as he brushed a strand of hair behind my ear. His smile lit up my world, his body trembling and strong against mine.

I wanted to tell him I loved him. I wanted to tell him that he made my heart flutter and my body sing, but I couldn’t find the courage. It wasn’t fair to tell him, knowing that we could never be together. Big city and middle of nowhere don’t go together for long.

“I think the water is ready,” he murmured, his voice husky. The steam from the shower was nearly opaque at this point, but I didn’t want to let him go yet. He made no move to untangle himself, our bodies still entwined on the cool tile floor. After a wonderful moment of eternity, we both loosened our limbs around the other.

Jack offered his hand, pulling me up easily from the floor. He didn’t release it though, as he turned to the shower and stepped inside. I followed him into the spray of hot water and smiled. He hummed softly as he rinsed his hair, never releasing my hand. I stepped under the hot spray, letting it rinse the salt and sweat. The hot water coursed down the two of us as he leaned down and kissed me. His kiss still had a soft saltwater tang, and I smiled and leaned into him for more.

Saltwater Kisses: Chapter 8

“Have you seen my black swimsuit?”

“You already packed it. It’s in the front pouch of your suitcase.”

“Thanks,” I said with a flustered grin as I put the now dry pink suit in with the black one. Jack sat on the bed, watching me bounce around the bedroom picking things up and putting them in my suitcase. “When does your flight leave again?”

Jack sighed and shifted his weight on the foot of the bed. “It technically leaves whenever I am ready, but, I have to be back in New York by the close of business, so I need to leave in about fifteen minutes.”

“I wish you didn’t have to go until evening,” I said quietly as I put the last couple of items in my main suitcase. What I really meant was, I wish you didn’t have to leave me at all.

“Me too, but planes can only fly so fast,” Jack answered. He shifted his weight again.

“Anxious to be off?” I asked, nodding at his tapping toes. He couldn’t seem to sit still. He looked down at his feet and saw his toes tapping against his sandals.

“It’s a good thing I wear covered toe shoes at work,” he murmured glaring at the offending foot. The toes stopped tapping. “I need to tell you something.”

I played with the zipper on my suitcase for a moment before standing. I had a feeling something like this was going to happen. We had been far too happy, this vacation too perfect for it to not have some hidden secret. I had been watching him all morning and knew he was fighting with a decision. I could tell from the way his jaw clenched tight or the fact he ordered plain black coffee that he was nervous about something. We had only been together for less than a week, but I could read his subtle tells like I had known him my whole life.

“The secretary you came with... she’s actually your wife, right?” I said straightening up to face him. I had been running scenarios of what he was going to say all morning. That was the most plausible one I could come up with. There were others, but asking him if he was a spy for the American government seemed a bit much.

Jack barked a short laugh. “No, not by a long-shot.” His face darkened, and he stood up and took my hands in his. “I haven’t been completely honest with you about what I do. I’m the new CEO of DS Oil and Gas.”

I snorted. That was not one of the many scenarios I had concocted. “I knew you had money, Jack, but a billionaire? Be serious.”

“I am serious. My father is the founder and owner of DS Oil and Gas. This is my last vacation before going back to take over the company. When my father steps down, I’ll be in charge of the company.” His eyes were dark and pleading. I could feel my brow furrowing as I shook my head and took my hands out of his.

“DS Oil and Gas? What are you talking about Jack?”

“I love that you don’t know that. Here,” he said pulling out his phone and pulling up a video. He placed it in my hands as the screen loaded. It was a commercial I had seen a thousand times, played on all the TV shows my parent’s watched. The jingle was one of those stupid songs that had the instant ability to stay stuck in my head for days. DS Oil and Gas... It’s a blast! On the last frame an attractive teenage boy came and stood by a distinguished older gentleman looking at an oil well. It was very obviously the teenage version of Jack with a man who could only be his father.

Jack gingerly took the phone from my shaking fingers when the video ended. “The video is a little old, but it’s the one everyone knows. DS stands for Daniel Saunders, my father.”

I looked up at him, confused. He reached out and gently pushed my chin closed; I hadn’t realized it was hanging open. “I don’t know what to say. I had no idea that was you.”

“I think that's why I like you so much. You never saw me as a meal ticket or anything other than another human being. You didn’t see a billionaire playboy, you saw a normal person. I can’t tell you how much that means to me.”

My hand went to my throat, feeling the cool silver dolphin charm. “That’s why you didn’t hesitate to buy this, and why you didn’t want any pictures at the wedding. If you’re a billionaire, then you’re famous too, right?”

“I never meant to lie to you Emma. I loved the way you looked at me. I loved your honesty and how genuinely wonderful you were without knowing who I was. I’m surrounded by fake people who only want my money every moment of every day, but you, you were different. I wanted to tell you, but I was terrified you would look at me like they do.”

“So you’re a billionaire who spent his last vacation with a dirt-poor girl in a free hotel room,” I said slowly. I moved away from him and sat down on the foot of the bed. My thoughts were racing, and every time I thought I caught one, it would slip through my fingers and speed off before I had time to process it.

“This was more than I could ever ask for,” he said quietly. Jack knelt before me on the floor, his hands resting on my knees. His dark eyebrows bunched together, his face full of worry and regret.

“So what happens now?”